Car truck



J. A. SHAFER June 3, 1958 CAR TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Nov. 18. 1949 IN1/MMR. VJAN/5 A. SHAFEI? BY /17' TRNE Y J. A. SHAFER June 3, 1958 CAR TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 18, 1949 INVENTOR. JA/V55 ,4. SH/-E BY ATTORNEY United Lbit-ares hatented .inne 3, 1953 CAR TRUCK ames A. Shafer, East Cieveiand, Ghia, assignor to National Mmleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, hio, a corporation of hio Original application November i8, 1949, Seriai No. 1138,153, now Patent No. 2,712,796, dated July 12, 1955. Divided and this application .ianuary 28, 1955, Serial No. 484,679

6 crains. (ci. 10s- 197) This invention relates to railway car trucks and more particularly to a truck having a built-in type of friction mechanism for controlling movements of the bolster.

rl`his is a division of the patent application of lames A. Shafer, Serial Number 128,153, led November 18, 1949, now United States Patent No. 2,712,796.

The invention has reference to the type of friction system wherein a friction wedge member is carried in a pocket in a column of the side frame of the car truck and is urged by a spring into engagement with a side of the bolster for controlling the vertical and lateral movements of the bolster with respect to the side frame. A feature of the invention comprises means for so confining the wedge member in the column, that whenever the bolster moves out of squared relation with the side frame, the wedge member acts toreturn the bolster' into squared relation with the frame.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in section, of a portion of one side of a railway car truck embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a portion of one side of a railway car truck embodying the invention, the bolster being shown in dot-dash.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4 of Fig. 2. v

Referring in particular to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the car truck illustrated broadly comprises a side frame l0, a bolster i2, bolster supporting springs 14, and friction wedges i6 which are urged into engagement with the sides of the bolster by springs 1S. While only one side frame with its associated bolsted end is shown, it will be understood that the other side of the truck has a similar side frame associated with the bolster in like manner.

The side frame comprises a compression member 20, a tension member 22, and spaced columns 24, connecting said members and forming a bolster receiving opening 26 therewith. The tension member has a central portion 28 which is of box section and comprises a top wall 36 to form a spring seat for accommodating coil springs i4. Upstanding iianges 34 which are disposed at the outer edges of the spring seat and are joined to the columns, serve to retain springs 14 on the seat. These anges also serve to strengthen the spring seating portion of the frame whose section has been reduced in depth to permit the use of long travel springs.

Each column 24 comprises a vertical wall 42 which extends upwardly from the top wall E@ of the tension member and continues as an upwardly and outwardly sloping wall 44 which joins with another vertical wall 46. These walls extend transversely into engagement with vertical side walls fit-i which merge with the compression and tension members. Pockets Sii for bolster.

accommodating friction wedges lo and springs 18 are formed in the upper portion of the columns by walls 445, do and d3. Each pocket 5@ is open on the inner side of the column as at e through which opening wedge i5 and spring if are inserted during assembly of the truck.

Each friction wedge i6 has a flat vertical surface 54 for engagement with a wear plate 56 at the side of the The diagonal surface SS on the wedge for engagement with sloping wall 441 is preferably crowned or curved in a verticai direction so that when wear takes place between the wedge and the bolster, the wedge will contact wall in at the same point on the wedge. The upper end of each wedge i6 is recessed as at 6d to receive the lower end of spring i3. The upper end of spring engages seat 62 disposed on the under side of compression member 2li. A dowel 64- eXtending from seat 62 into spring It serves to position the upperend of the spring and also serves to prevent incorrect assembly of the spring in the column, as will be hereinafter described. Each wedge t6 is provided with a pair of upstanding lugs or ears 66 whose function is to prevent incorrect application of the wedges in the pockets of the columns. In this connection it will be observed that the upper end of the bolster receiving opening Z6 is widened to permit withdrawal of the bolster from the side frame during disassembly. Bolster guide lugs 68 and ii (Fig. 3) in the assembled truck overlap the outboard and inboard sides 43 of columns 2d below the widened portion of the bolster receiving opening to tie the frame to the bolster. However, when the bolster is raised to the widened end of the bolster receiving opening 26, lugs 68 can be passed through this widened end and the frame withdrawn from the end of the bolster. Lugs 70 do not need to be passed through the bolster receiving opening and preferably extend the full depth of the bolster, thus providing a substantial bearing surface for engagement with the columns. If wedge 16 is accidenally inserted into the column in reversed position, the ends of ears 6o will extend into the widened portion of opening 26. riihis will prevent assembly of the bolster with side frame by precluding guide lugs 68 from passing through the widened upper end of the bolster receiving opening.

To facilitate assembly and disassembly of the side frame and bolster, provision is made for the retraction of friction wedges f6 into the columns and out of engagement with wear plate 56. To this end, each column is provided with an opening 72 in the outboard side wall @-53 and aligned openings ld in the outboard and inboard walls 4S. Each friction wedge is provided with aligned openings 76 in the upper end thereof and an opening 7S. The relative locations of these openings when the wedge is in functioning position may be seen in the right-hand column of Fig. 1. To retract the friction wedge, a suitable tool such as a pinch bar may be inserted into openings 72 and i6 and the wedge retracted until the inner liange portion 82 of opening 7n in the wedge has been raised surciently to permit the insertion of a pin into openings 74 and 78 to maintain the wedge' in retracted position. With the friction wedge in retracted position, no portion of the wedge will extend into the widened end of the bolster receiving opening and therefore the wedge will in no way interfere with disassembly or assembly of the side frame and bolster. Opening 72 is liared on the inner side of wall i3 to facilitate insertion of the pinch bar Sil into the column and wedge.

in order to prevent incorrect positioning of spring t3 in the column, dowel 6d has been made of such length that the endsurface 34 thereof is spaced from the spring seat portion 35 in the friction wedge a distance which is Vcolumn and openings 7S in the wedge.

less than the solid height of the spring. This will preclude the upper end of springl from being accidentally hung up on the end of dowel 64 during assembly of the wedge and spring in the colummas it would not be possible to retract the shoe an amount suliicient to permit insertion of the retaining pin into openings 74 in the Also a transverse tie web 87 is spaced from dowel 6d a distance less than the diameter of spring 18 to preclude accidental insertion of the upper end of the spring between the dowel and web S7.

The bolster is` provided with downward extensions 86 positioned adjacent the side frame columns and extending between the inboard and outboard bolster supporting springs 14. These extensions serve the dual function of providing a support for the lower end of wear plate 56 and of positioning the upper end of the inboard and outboard bolster supporting springs. The wear plate may be suitably secured to the bolster and projection 86 as by means of welding. This arrangement permits the use of a wear platewhich extends a considerable distance below bottom wall of the bolster and thereby serves to maintain the wedge stable during the vertical movements of the bolster in service.

The outer edge of top wall 94 of the bolster is de pressed as at 96 so that the curved upper end of .wear plate 55 is liush with the top surface of the bolster. Also side wall 9S of the bolster is offset in the region of the column so that the outer side of wear plate S6 is in line with the side of the bolster.

Referring nowparticularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, theinvention comprises lugs on the inner sides of the column side walls such Vthat swivelling of wedges 16 in one direction transversely of the side frame is precluded. More specifically, each column comprises a lug 336 on the inner surface of inboardside wall 48, disposed generally adjacent the widened upper portion of the bolster receiving opening 26 in the side frame and adjacent the open end of friction wedge receiving pocket 5b in the column. A second lug 132 is located on the inner surface of outboard side wall 48 of each of the columns, generally adjacent the open end of the wedgereceiving pocket but spaced downwardly from aforementioned lug 134). It will be seen therefore that the lugs are disposed diagonally with Vrespect to one another on opposing surfaces of side walls 4S, with lug i3@ adapted for engagement with the upper end or the associated friction wedge lo and lug 132 adapted for engagement generally with the lower end of the wedge.V Thus, as may be seen in Fig. 4, enough clearance is provided in the wedge receiving pockets in the vented from swivelling in a counterclockwise direction (i. e., in a direction whereby the upper ends of the wedges may move in a direction inwardly of the side frame) by lugs i3d and 132.

Referring to Fig. l, it will be apparent that each of wedges l in the right and left columns 2d of the side frame may swivel outwardly a limited amount toward the front wall 48 of its associated column but is precluded from swivelling inwardly toward back. wall of the column by the engagement of the top portion of the wedge with upper lug i343 and the engagement of the bottom portion of the wedge with lowering L32.

The relation of the friction wedges i6 to the bolster when the latter is angled vhorizontally with respect to the side frame, is shown in Fig. 3. it will be seen in this view that the wedge in the column at the left side of the frame is prevented from swivelling transversely in a direction inwardly of the side frame by lugs and 132 and thus full surface engagement between the wedge and wear plate 56 on the bolster vcannot occur, the wear plate on the bolsterV engaging only the outer edge Cil . .assignee of surface 54 of the wedge, as at 134. However, the Wedge in the right side of this view is swivelled transversely in a direction outwardly of the side frame and its vertical surface 54 remains in engagement with the wear plate of the bolster. The reason for this is that when the bolster angles horizontally relative to the side frame, the wedges tend to remain in full contact with the sides of the bolster and with the sloping wall 44 on the column, and in order to do so they must swivel in opposite directions relative to the side frame. Thus,'referring to the wedge i6 on the left side of Fig. 3, in order that it remain in contact with wear plate 56 on the bolster and wall 44 on the column, it must swivel transversely in a direction inwardly of the side frame toward back wall 48 of the column. However, as aforesaid, lugs 130 and 132 preclude such movement of this wedge so that it is held substantially square in relation to the side frame pocket and thus cannot rotate into full surface-to-surface engagement with wear plate 56 on the bolster. At the same time the wedge on the right swivels transversely in a direction outwardly of the side frame toward front wall l of the column and is not limited in this movement by'lugs 130 and 132. In this position, the wedge can rotate slightly in pocket 50 and thus remains fully engaged with wear plate 56 and wall 44 upon angling of the bolster.

When the bolster is angledin the opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 3, the friction wedges will function in reverse. Furthermore, in considering the entire car truck, one pair of diagonally opposite friction wedges will act together on the bolster, that is, one diagonally opposite pair'of wedges will swivel as the bolster angles in respect to the side frames but the other pair of diagonally opposite wedges will remain stationary. In response to movement of the bolster into out-of-square relation to the side frames at least one of the Wedges in each side frame is necessarily forced upwardly along the sloping wall of the column to further compress spring 18 (Fig. l). This sets up a restoring .force against the bolste'r which acts .to return the same into squared relation with the side frames. l

lt will thus be seen that the invention provides a simple and eective means for maintaining the bolster in squared relation with respect to the side frames.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used in a descriptive and not a limiting sense, and I have no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invenjoining said members and forming a bolster receivingy opening therewith, a bolster extending into said opening, each of said columns having side walls and a sloping connecting wall forming a pocket facing a side of said bolster, a wedge member in said pocket, a spring for urging said wedge member into engagement with said sloping wall and a side of said bolster, and abutment means on said side walls in said pocket for engagement with said wedge member to preclude swivelling of the latter transversely of the side frame during angling of the bolster in a horizontal direction relative to the side frame.

2. A car truck according to claim l, wherein said abutment means comprises a pair of lugs on the inner sides of said side walls, said lugs being positioned so as to engage upper and lower ends of said wedge.

3. ln a car truck a side frame comprising a pair of spaced columns, a bolster having an end portion extending between said columns, each of said columns having outboard and inboard side walls and a transverse sloping wail extending between said side walls, a Wedge member disposed between said side walls and lbeing in wedging engagement with said sloping wall and a side of said bolster, and a pair of diagonally oppositely positioned lugs on the inner surfaces of said side walls of each column for engagement with said Wedge member to preclude swivelling of said member in one direction transversely of the side frame.

4. A car truck side frame comprising a tension member, a compression member, a pair of columns joining said members, each of said columns having side Walls and a sloping connecting Wall forming a pocket, abutment means in said pocket comprising a plurality of diagonally disposed lugs positioned on the inner surfaces of said side walls.

5. In a car truck a side frame comprising a pair of spaced columns, a bolster having an end portion extending between said columns, each of said columns having outboard and inboard side walls and a transverse sloping wall extending between said side walls, a Wedge member disposed between said side Walls and being in Wedging engagement with said sloping Wall and a side of said bolster, and lugs on the inner sides of said side Walls disposed so as to preclude swivelling of said member in one direction transversely of said side frame during angling of said bolster in a horizontal direction relative to said frame.

6. In a car truck a side frame comprising a pair of spaced columns, each of said columns having outboard and inboard side walls, a sloping transverse wall extending between said Walls of each column and forming a Wedge receiving pocket, a lug in said pocket on inner side of each of said inboard side walls, and another lug in said pocket on the inner side of each of said outboard walls, said first-named lug being disposed at a higher elevation than said second-named lug.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,458,210 Schlegel I an. 4, 1949 

